Immunity & Inflammation

Key lung immune cells can intensify allergic reactions

New research by scientists at VIB and UGent reveals that immune cells in the lung, long thought to protect against inflammation, can, under certain conditions, make allergic reactions such as asthma worse. Their work appears in the journal Immunity.

RSV vaccines could offer protection against asthma

Ghent, November 28, 2025 – Belgian scientists from VIB and Ghent University (UGent), together with Danish collaborators, have uncovered compelling evidence that early-infancy infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) significantly increases the risk of developing childhood asthma—especially in children with a family history of allergy or asthma. Their study, published today in Science Immunology, suggests that protecting newborns against RSV could substantially reduce asthma cases later in life.

Psoriasis-linked gene mutation also impacts gut health 

VIB researchers and colleagues uncover an unexpected role for psoriasis-associated gene CARD14 in intestinal function and disease. 

Scientists map dendritic cell reactions to vaccines 

Ghent, 26 August 2025 – Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body’s defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles. These findings, published in Cell Reports, could lead to safer and more effective vaccines.  

Spectacular Breakthrough in Sepsis Research: Vitamin B1 Stops Deadly Lactate Production and Opens the Door to a New Treatment

Specific types of liver immune cells are required to deal with injury

Liver immune cells are not static following an injury, as previously thought, but they adapt to the new microenvironment and participate in tissue repair

Therapeutic potential of a novel mixture of mRNA in nanoparticles overcomes tumor progression  

Researchers from VIB, VUB, Ghent University, and eTheRNA Immunotherapies developed an immunotherapeutic platform based on lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs)

Scientists discover how specific E. coli bacteria drive colon cancer

Certain E. coli bacteria in the gut promote colon cancer by binding to intestinal cells and releasing a DNA-damaging toxin

Repeated COVID vaccines enhance mucosal immunity against the virus

People who received multiple doses of mRNA vaccines showed more neutralizing antibodies in nasal secretions

Cells that die during inflammation send wound-healing messages 

A study by the team of Prof. Kodi Ravichandran (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) and colleagues found that pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death traditionally thought to be purely inflammatory, also plays a crucial role in promoting healing and tissue repair. This research, published in Nature, opens new avenues for understanding how our bodies respond to injury and could lead to innovative treatments for wounds and inflammatory diseases. 

Past infections have long-term effects on liver immune cells 

Many infections affect the liver, yet little is known about the long-term impact of these infections on the liver’s immune cells. Now, a study by the teams of Prof. Jo Van Ginderachter (VIB-VUB) and Prof Kiavash Movahedi at VUB reveals long-lasting changes in the liver’s Kupffer cells following an infection. The work appears in the Journal of Hepatology. 

Newly discovered protein blocks sleeping sickness 

New research by the lab of Prof. Jo Van Ginderachter (VIB Center for Inflammation Research and VUB), in collaboration with Prof. Carl De Trez (VUB) and others, identifies a protein that could pave the way toward drugs against sleeping sickness.